Abstract: Two employees were surveying for a sewer system. They were concerned that there might not have been sufficient clearance for a backhoe to operate beneath a nearby overhead power line. Apparently, in an attempt to determine if there was sufficient clearance, one of the two employees was handling a grade rod, which had a metal strip on it. He touched the rod to the 33-kilovolt power line. He received an electric shock and suffered first-, second-, and third-degree burns on his hands and feet. The employee, who had never received training in electrical safety work practices, was hospitalized for his injuries.